The Paper News

Welcome to the first edition of The Paper News! We hope you find this newsletter to be both informative and inspirational. If you have trouble reading this in your email program, you can also read it on the web. The Paper News is under active development and we welcome any suggestions for improvements. We also welcome content! Please send us your questions or suggestions as well as photos of your creations. Enjoy! - Sandy Jackson

Who knew you could inflate a pear? Using the 3D Pear Stamp Set, Barbara Christmann crafted this delightful patriotic balloon! We're regularly surprised by the many unexpected ways our stamp sets are used. Barbara has also made many other amazing models, including the rabbit which is featured on our Cool Projects site. Check it out!

How do I make a 3D hot air balloon? A hot air balloon is made by turning a Pear (from our stamp set or precut paper) upside down. You must decorate the paper before assembling the model. If this is the first time you are making a decorated pear, it's a good idea to assemble it first and mark on the model where the decorations should go. For instance, to make a balloon like the one on the left, assemble the model and then draw a line where you want to separate the stripes from the solid blue. Then disassemble the model and color the paper. Cut off the stem and some of the top of the pear and then reassemble. Finally, attach a miniature basket or thimble with threads to complete the balloon.

I would like to sell some of the crafts I make from your stamp sets for profit. Is that OK? The models you create using our stamp sets are yours to do with as you please. If you wish to sell them, it is proper to give credit to (some assembly required)™ for the engineering. What you cannot do is stamp out the patterns, copy them, and distribute them. This is a violation of our copyright, whether you sell the patterns or not. Distributing or selling the patterns harms our company and could put us out of business.

To put it another way, consider our stamp sets as tools and the patterns as a blueprint. If you were to create a chair with tools and a blueprint you purchased at a hardware store, the chair is yours to do with as you please. However, you didn't make the blueprint to create the chair and you shouldn't distribute it or copy it.

What types of paper are best with your stamp sets? Any type of paper can be used to craft SAR models except lumpy paper. Smooth paper is preferred because it is easier to cut and because the models will be easier to close. If you are crafting a small model, a thin paper will work fine whereas larger models benefit from a thicker paper with more rigidity. If the paper is very thin, you can glue sheets of it together (I find spray glue works well) to the required thickness to make a sturdier model. Another option is to laminate softer papers onto thicker ones. That way, you get the type of surface you want with a core strong enough for larger models.

In general, I find 65 lb. to 80 lb. cover stock to be ideal for all sizes of models. This is quite a large range. I usually go for the paper that has the right color and texture for the model I plan to build. Finally, the weight of a paper doesn't tell you how thick or rigid it is; if you examine several 80 lb. cover papers you will see that they vary quite a lot. The hard, smooth papers will generally be much more durable than the "spongy" ones.

Miniature dies for the tree and egg are now available. (Die sets for the star and heart are coming soon!) The models produced with these dies are perfect for jewelry or mini pop ups in greeting cards. The dies can be used with the Accucut Zip'eMate, the QuicKutz Personal Die Cutting System, the Sizzix Personal Die-Cutter or the Spellbinders Wizard Die Cut System.

Plastic Fantastic

Crafting SAR models with plastic can produce amazing effects. To the right is a Heart crafted from transparency film colored by an ink jet printer. Other SAR models, such as the Bottle and the Snow Globe, beg to be crafted from plastic. Have you ever seen an opaque snow globe? We haven't. So in this article, we will discuss issues and considerations when crafting with plastic. We’ve been experimenting with three plastics that you can use for your projects. They are: acetate, polyester, and polycarbonate. The one you choose for your project will depend on your design.

Considerations When Crafting With Plastic

Three major factors to consider in selecting a plastic are clarity, durability, and reflectivity. To test the clarity of a plastic, look through a stack of 10 or so small pieces. If you are comparing different materials, make sure each stack is of the same thickness for the test to be accurate. Durable plastics are easier to craft and will make longer lasting models. Since you will be cutting and bending the plastic, it needs to be strong enough to be crafted with. It is important that cuts in the plastic do not become tears. Reflectivity is a factor because if the plastic reflects light, you won't be able to see into the model. On the other hand, if you want a crystalline effect, higher reflectivity is more desirable. All of these factors will be discussed in further detail below.

Another issue to consider is which ink to use. Stazon ink works well with all of the plastics we've tested, and can be cleaned off with 99% isopropyl alcohol available at local drug stores. Be sure to read the concentration, because alcohols with a lower percentage will not clean off the ink very well.

After cutting the pieces for your model, it is important to remove all traces of ink from the plastic. This will make the illusion of glass perfect.


Is it glass, or is it plastic? Sandy crafted this Snow Globe from Mylar. The snowflakes were applied using a white Zig Painty marker.

Acetate

Acetate film is the most visually attractive plastic. Acetate’s excellent clarity and low reflectivity make it ideal for crafting a transparent snow globe. Unfortunately, it is very fragile: acetate film is actually produced from plant cellulose! It is also the same plastic used for motion picture film in the mid 20th century, and, as you probably know, those films are deteriorating in their canisters. So don’t plan on crafting any heirlooms with acetate. A straight cut in acetate film will easily start a tear in the plastic. To minimize this problem, punch a small hole at the end of the slot you intend to cut before you cut out the slot. If you choose to work with acetate film, you will have the best results with a sheet .007 inches in thickness.

Polyester

Mylar is a brand of polyester . Mylar is used for making transparencies and you can find it in most office supply stores. If you are going to use transparency film for making SAR models, there are two things to keep in mind. First, be certain that the sheets are as clear as you want since transparencies vary in opacity. Second, transparencies are coated on one side so as to absorb printer ink. Do not stamp on the coated side: ink on the coated side will smudge when you try to clean it. Since mylar is more durable than acetate film, the models you craft with it will last longer. Unfortunately, mylar is more reflective and less clear than acetate. As well, we haven’t been able to find transparency sheets thicker than .004 inches, which makes rather delicate models. However, transparencies can be run through a color ink jet printer. This is a great advantage! With the colors, designs, or images you could print on transparent plastic, imagine the elaborate Bottles, Hearts, or Eggs you could create!

In addition to transparencies, you can find Mylar of various thickness, of varying clarity, as well as coated or uncoated. Dura-lar is a coated polyester available from Dick Blick and is ideal for making SAR models because it is available on flat sheets. In general, avoid buying any mylar that comes on a roll. Once mylar is curled, it takes a set that would be the envy of hairdressers. Curled mylar stays curled. You can’t even iron it flat. If you know how to flatten curled mylar, please let us know! We would gladly share that information in a future edition of the Paper News.

Polycarbonate

The final plastic we will consider is Embossable Window Plastic available from Judi-Kins (their catalog lists the product code as AP512). Polycarbonate is the plastic used to make CDs and DVDs. Of all the plastics we have tested, it is the toughest and longest lasting. It is very clear and rigid. If you want your model to look like crystal, polycarbonate film is the best choice, because it is the most reflective of the three plastics we discuss. You can craft a crystalline Snow Globe with polycarbonate film.

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